Switch-housing structure



July 14, 1925.

W. M. SCOTT SWITCH HOUSING STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 4. 1922 mvENT'oR 9 JM gz? -Y $4.62@ l ATTORNEY.

Patented July 14, '1925.

. i 4UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SWITCH-HOUSING STRUCTURE.

Application led February 4, 1922. Serial N'o. 534,024.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. SCOTT, a citizenof the United States, residing in Tredyffrin Township, in the county of Chester, State of Pennsylvania., have invented a new and useful Switch-Housing Structure, of which the following isv a specification.

My invention relates to structure for mounting and housing electric switches, automatic circuit breakers, and the like.

In accordance with my invention, there is provided a supporting or conductor housing to which are hinged, independently of each other, a base for carrying the switching or automatic circuit breaker mechanism, and a second housing enclosing the switching or circuit breaker mechanism;

Further in accordance with my invention, a plurality of switching units or mechanisms, as a plurality of double arm automatic circuit breakers, is mounted upon a common base within a common housing, and the manual actuating and tripping members for the several circuit breaker mechanisms are carried by a common wall, which'may swing toward andaway from operative re- ,lation to all of the switch or circuit breaker mechanisms.

Myinvention resides in the features of construction iand combination hereinafter described and claimed. v

For an illustration of some of the various formsmy invention may take, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the same. i

Fi 4 is an end elevational view with the vhousings and base swung apart.

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of a modification, with the housings and base swun apart.

Re errmg to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, A

is a housing or box of any suitable material,

preferablyv sheet or cast metal, which, in the example illustrated, serves as a supporting housing or a housing receiving and enclosing the conductors communicating with the switching or circuit breaker mechanism.

' The housing A may be securedby any suitable mangas/.screws 1, 1, to any suitable support, as .a wall, pillar or the like.

The supply and consumption circuit conductors may be led into and from the housing A through the suitable openings 2, at which usual conduits 0r conductor housing pipes are connected in well known manner, as for example, as indicated in my prior Letters PatentvNo. 1,389,996. At any suitable position on the housing Ayas for eX- ample, at its forward edge, there are provided hinge members 3, secured tothe housing A, and supporting any suitable hinge elements, as hinge -pins 4.

'A base'5, preferably of insulating mate rial, as slate or the like, has secured thereto the hinge members 6 terminating at their upper ends in hinge hooks 7 embracing or hooked upon the aforesaid hinge pins 4 carried by the housing A. The base 5 is therefore hinged to the supporting housing A at front edge, and forms aclosing wall for that housing, or -a wall commonto or dividing the supporting housing A from the second housing B, having the front wall 8. The housing Bhas secured thereto the hinge members .9 terminating in eyes or, as indicated, hinge hooks 10, which also co-act or engage with the aforesaid hinge pins 4, whereby the housing B is pivoted to the'supporting housing A, but independently of the .base 5, whereby that base and the housing B may swing independently of each other upon the housing A. This feature of independent pivoting is well indicated in Fig. 4, where the base 5 and second housing B are shown in different positions with respect to the housing -A while hinged thereto at 4.

While the members 7 and 10 are preferably hooks, whereby the base 5 and housing B are detachably hooked or hinged upon the housing A, it will be understood that these hook members may be completely closed circumferentially, and thereby coin- Apletely embrace the hlnge moval ofwhich, however, the parts may bev separated.

Upon the front face of the base 5, as in dicated in Figs. 1 and 3, is mounted switching mechanism, automatic circuit breaker mechanism, or the like. In theexample lllustrated, there is shown a plurality of automatic circuit breaker mechanisms, each of which comprises twobreaker or switching arms or mechanisms constituting so-called double arm circuit breaker mechanism,

such., for example, as illustratedv in the aforepins 4, upon reouter ends of bars 18 are provided withV said Letters Patent No.V 1,389,996. Electrical connections are made, as indicated in the aforesaid patent, from the conductors in the conductor housing A to the studs v11', 11,

extending into the housing A through the base 5 from the switching mechanism on its front face. Carried by the wall 8 of the secondhousing B is a rotary or oscillatory operatin member 12 disposed within the housing for successively closing the different arms of each switching or circuit breaker mechanism, and operable from the exterior of the housing by the' handle 13; the wall 8 of the housing carries also the plunger 14, whereby the automatic circuit breaker mechanism may be -manually tripped, as explained in the aforesaid Letters Patent.

By screws 15, Fig. 3, passing through plate 15*3L and threaded linto members 16, Fig. 1, secured on the inside of the housing A, the base 5 is heldin iixed position with respect to the housing A. The ends 17, Figs. l and 3, of the outwardly extending bars 18, Figs.-

1 and 3, are threaded into plates 15. The bars 18 are rotatably supported'by U-shaped members 18a secured to housing B. The

screw driver slots 19, access to which slots -is prevented b the bars 20 of padlocks passing through t 1e lugs 21 adjacent the heads of the screws 17 this structure being similar to that indicated in the aforesaid Letters Patent. The padlocks keep the housing B locked closed, but upon removal of the padlocks the screws 17 may be removed and thenl the housing B may be swung outwardly on the pivot pins 4, as indicated in Fig. 4, and unhooked therefrom and removed. Similarly, after the housing B is removed, the screws 15 may be removed and the base 5 may be swung outwardly, as indicated in u Fi 4, and unhooked from the housing A an removed.

As indicated in Fig. 5, the outer wall 8 of the second housing B may be pivoted to that housing, as at 8, and may be locked closed by a padlock passing through the spring catch 22, which extends through `a slot in the door 8 and has a hole for re'- celving the barof the padlock, as described, for example, in

1s disposed within the same second housing B a plurality of switching or circuit breaker mechanisms, in detached relation to which are disposed the aforesaid operating members 12, 13, 14 carried by the common housing wall 8, which, as 'illustrated in Fig. 5, may be pivotedv to theV housing B, or, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, may be fixed thereto. Y

While in the examples illustrated the base and second housing are hinged upon horizontal axes, it will be understood that they my co-pending application Sellal No. 496,816, v As will be noted from Figs. 2 and 3, there may be hinged upon vertical axes, or that one of them may be hinged upon a horizontal axis and the other upon a vertical axis.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a housing, of a base member carried thereby, fixed and movable contacts of ,switching mechanism carried b said base member, connecting means exten ing from said switching mechanism through said base member into said housing, and a second housing enclosing said switching mechanism hinged to said first named housing independently of said base member.

2. The combination with a housing, of a base member hinged thereon, fixed and mov- -able contacts of switching mechanism carried b said base member, connecting means exten ing from said switching mechanism through said base member into said housing, and a second housing enclosing said switching mechanism and pivoted to Said first named housing independently of said base member.

3. The combination with a housing, of a base member carried thereby, fixed and movable contacts of switching mechanism carried by'said base member, connecting means extending from said switching mechanism through said base member into said housing, a second housing enclosing said switching mechanism hinged to said' irst named housing independently of said base member,

means for securing said base member toried by said base member, connecting means extending from said switching mechanism through said base member into said housing, a second housing enclosingsaid switching mechanism and pivoted to said irst named housing independently of said base member, means for securing said base member to said first named housing, and means securing said second housing to said base member.

5. The combination with a housing, of a base member hinged thereon, fixed and movable contacts of switching mechanism carried b said base member, connecting means exten ing from said switching mechanism through said base member into said housing, and a second housing enclosing said switching mechanism and pivoted to said first named housing co-axlally with but independently of said base member.

6. The combination with a housing, of a. base member carried thereby and forming a. wall thereof, fixed and movable contacts of switching mechanism carried by said base member, connecting means extendin from said switching mechanism throng said base memberinto said housin and a second housing enclosingsaid switching mechanism and pivoted independently of said base member to said first named'housing vat an edge thereof adjacent said base member.

7. The combination with a housing, of a base member hinged thereon at one edge thereof, fixed and movablev contacts of switching mechanism carried by said base member, connecting means extendin from said switching mechanism through sald base member into said housing, and a second housing enclosing said switching mechanism and pivoted at said edge of said first named housing independently of'said base member.

8. The combination with aI supporting housing, of means for securingfthe same to a support, a second housing pivoted to said first named housing, a base member independently pivoted to said first named housing and forming a wall common to said housings, fixed and movable contacts of switching mechanism on said base with'- in one of said housings, and connecting means extending from `said switching mechanism through ,said base member into the other of'- said housings.

9. The combination with a base member,

of a plurality of automatic circuit breakerunits carried by said base, an enclosing housing common to said units, and operating mechanisms for said units carried in. detached relationthereto on the same wall of said housing. N

10. The combination with a base member, of a,plurality of automatic circuit breaker units carrie by said base, an enclosing housing common to said units, said housing having a pivoted door, and operating mechanisms for said units carried in detached relation thereto on said door.

11. The combination with a housing, of a base member pivotally mounted with respect thereto, fixed and movable contacts of switching mechanism carried by said base member, and a second housing enclosing said switching mechanism and pivoted independently of said base to said first named housing.

12. The combination with a support, of a switch base -pivotally carried thereby, fixed and movable contacts of switching mechanism mounted on said base, and a housing for said mechanisml mounted in-l dependently of said base upon said support.

13. The combination with a support, of

a base member, fixed and movable contacts of switchin mechanism carried by said base .membera ousing for said switching mechanism, and means for pivotally mounting said base and said housing for independent movement `with respect to said support.

14. The combination with a housing, of automatic lcircuit breaker mechanism comprising co-operating relatively fixed and movable contact. structures, restraining means, and automatic tripping mechanism, a vbase member carrying said automatic circuit breaker mechanism pivoted upon said housing, a second housing independently pivoted upon said housing and enclosing means, and automatic tripping mechanism,

a base member carrying said automatic circuit breaker mechanism pivoted upon said housing, a second housing independently pivoted upon said housing and enclosing said circuit breaker mechanism, connectors extending through said base member from said circult breaker mechanism, conductors extending from the exterior into said first-named housing and detachably connecting with said connectors, and means operable from .the exterior of said? second housing carried thereby in detached relation to said. movable contact structure for resetting said circuit breaker.

16. The combination with avhousing, of automatic circuit breaker mechanism comprising co-operating relatively fixed and movable contact structures, l restraining means, and automatic tripping mechanism,

a base member carrying sa1d automatic circuit breaker mechanism pivoted upon said housin ,a second housing independently pivo u n said housing and. enclosing said circuit breaker mechanism, connectors extending through said base member from said circuit breaker mechanism, conductors 'extending from the exterior into said firstnamed housing and detachably connecting with said connectors, and said second housing having aV movable wall, and means operable from the exterior of said second housing carried by said movable wall in detached relation to said movable contact structure for resetting said circuit breaker.

In" testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature this 3rd day of February, 1922.

. WILLIAM' M. SCOTT. 

